Thread: ADA/Mindfulness training

Our minds constantly seem to be in search of new stimuli, so staying aware and in the present moment for longer periods of time will come with time and persistence in this type of training. As far as staying aware when you're consciously focusing on some other task is certainly a challenge. Start trying it while you're focusing on something and see how long it takes for your thoughts to begin to stray.

I wish I had an answer to your routine, but I am not sure. It doesn't sound like a bad way to start. Make sure your RCs are not set on steady times, ex. every 30 minutes. Instead have some kind of randomized timer that will remind you to do RCs, or have a list of a handful of things you see or do within each day that remind you to do to your RCs so they don't become an automated action.

Hopefully that is somewhat of a help! I'm sure that other members have some good information.

Originally Posted by 13WAR08T

I'm interested in training myself to actually live in the present and be aware of my thoughts and surroundings for long periods of time, for DILDs and because of health problems which would benefit from long-term mindfulness. But I don't want to exhaust myself. Here's an idea I have for gradually building up awareness:
Every time I do a reality check (usually once or twice every hour), try to stay aware for one minute and do this for 3 days. Then try 3 minutes after each RC for another few days. then 5 minutes and so on until I'm aware more often than not. Is this likely to work? Could anyone suggest a possibly better way?

Seems like it could work, if you stick with it.

Originally Posted by 13WAR08T

Also, how do you stay aware when doing things which require you to think and concentrate? For example writing or talking to someone?

That sounds a bit more difficult, but well worth doing. Maybe you could approach whatever it is you need to do as a form of mindfulness meditation. For example, suppose you need to write something. Try to focus on nothing but that writing task either for a set period of time (e.g., 20 minutes) or until it's done, without getting distracted. If you catch yourself getting distracted (e.g., doing something other than the writing task, such as daydreaming or web surfing), just go right back to the task. Do this without getting upset by the fact that you got distracted, because it's normal for people to get distracted a lot, and the fact that you realized you were distracted and went back to the task is a good thing. It's basically the same as how when you're meditating by focusing on your breath (or on a mantra, or whatever) and you notice you've gotten distracted, you just go back to what you were supposed to be focusing on. If you do this enough, you'll eventually find you're getting distracted less and less often and for shorter and shorter periods of time. Hmm, maybe I'll try that idea myself!

I am also deeply engaged in ADA/Mindfulness training right now. I have found that by connecting with my body whenever possible I am able to slip immediately into a mindful moment. Run a quick full body scan and you'll find yourself fully aware for that moment in time.

The body connects to the moment...the moment connects to the true self...the true self attends to life as a dream. That's what I am working on anyway.....with some real success.

I spend my days in my office where I do quite a bit of phone work. A little orange sticky on my phone reminds me to be mindful and aware many times during the day, often times even when I am on a call.

Originally Posted by 13WAR08T

I'm interested in training myself to actually live in the present and be aware of my thoughts and surroundings for long periods of time, for DILDs and because of health problems which would benefit from long-term mindfulness. But I don't want to exhaust myself. Here's an idea I have for gradually building up awareness:
Every time I do a reality check (usually once or twice every hour), try to stay aware for one minute and do this for 3 days. Then try 3 minutes after each RC for another few days. then 5 minutes and so on until I'm aware more often than not. Is this likely to work? Could anyone suggest a possibly better way?

Also, how do you stay aware when doing things which require you to think and concentrate? For example writing or talking to someone?

I hope you get more replies because this really is very hard. I tried many ways but I still haven't found the perfect way.

While it's easy when you aren't doing much. It's hard when you are doing something mentally active.
(also its easier if you are both mentally and physically active. It appears to be hardest even you are mentally active but physically mostly still)

I found focusing on the breath or doing kindness mantra may have worked the best. I also tried setting interval timers and that works sometimes.

It appears from my experience that for interval reminders to work more effectively there is a need to vary the stimuli, ( ie, different sound) so your mind doesn't get accustomed to it and begins to ignore the timer. The duration may also be changed slightly in similar way. Im still looking for a fitness tracker or watch that could vibrate instead so you could train awareness when you have to talk to someone like you said. Of course the goal is to be able to internalize all of this though.

Maybe that helps. I hope you get more replies that might have a better solution.

Originally Posted by 13WAR08T

How do you stay aware when doing things which require you to think and concentrate?

I think this seems difficult because it seems like a very minor but crucial detail concerning the definition of awareness is being overlooked. Let me explain:

google defines awareness as "knowledge or perception of a situation or fact."
google defines knowledge as "awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation."
google defines perception as "the state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses."

Notice that awareness is defined as knowledge OR perception of a situation or fact. This means that awareness of something by definition does not require both knowledge and perception of it; it only requires one of the two. If it did require both, then we would by definition not be aware of both things we know but do not perceive and things we perceive but do not know.

Therefore, if the familiarity of our surroundings persists, we don't have to perceive them to remain aware of them. So, to remain aware of surroundings while thinking or concentrating, we can first gain familiarity of our surroundings through experience of them and then feel free do our thinking or concentrating without perceiving the surroundings. As long as familiarity of the surroundings persists, then awareness of them will persist as well.

That said, if our surroundings are changing, then we might lose our familiarity of them. So, if our surroundings change, we need to be familiar with those changes to maintain knowledge of them.

Originally Posted by dolphin

I think this seems difficult because it seems like a very minor but crucial detail concerning the definition of awareness is being overlooked. Let me explain:

google defines awareness as "knowledge or perception of a situation or fact."
google defines knowledge as "awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation."
google defines perception as "the state of being or process of becoming aware of something through the senses."

Notice that awareness is defined as knowledge OR perception of a situation or fact. This means that awareness of something by definition does not require both knowledge and perception of it; it only requires one of the two. If it did require both, then we would by definition not be aware of both things we know but do not perceive and things we perceive but do not know.

Therefore, if the familiarity of our surroundings persists, we don't have to perceive them to remain aware of them. So, to remain aware of surroundings while thinking or concentrating, we can first gain familiarity of our surroundings through experience of them and then feel free do our thinking or concentrating without perceiving the surroundings. As long as familiarity of the surroundings persists, then awareness of them will persist as well.

That said, if our surroundings are changing, then we might lose our familiarity of them. So, if our surroundings change, we need to be familiar with those changes to maintain knowledge of them.

Very well put, I feel like most people with ADA or even mindfulness have this idea that they must be in a constant state of almost surprise and new views at the world around them. They try to focus on never getting comfortable, never letting a habit do its ting, never getting anything into their subconscious, but trying to keep EVERYTHING in their conscious, which is impossible. I try to be in a state of choosing what I am aware of and for how long, not trying to stay aware of it all the time, otherwise I wouldn't be able to just slip into the familiarity and joy of spending time with friends, or getting good at a video game, so that it becomes second nature.

Some results show that certain video games (like online FPS games) can have positive effects on awareness in dreams. This makes sense to me, because the intention that I use to make things a habit in an online fps video game is very similar to the intention for a dream. Broken down to something simple, say that there is a certain corner, you are prone to getting shot, so each time you walk around there, you switch to aiming down sight and strafing. Eventually, each time you walk around any corner or move anywhere, there is an extremely complex group of habits that keep you aware of your surroundings, but all of it is going in the background. There are even ones that I don't understand at all. I realized that my timing in the game was off, it seemed like sometimes when I was walking around a corner, I would feel like there was someone on the other side, and then I would move too fast around and get shot, so I switched to every time I got that feeling, I would just pause and ads, no strafing. The person would then walk around the corner. I am talking about a time where there is nothing on the mini map and nothing on any other sensors or from friends, just so we are clear, a new sort of awareness that seems to be a background tracker of possible enemies. This became my main way to get better, as it depended on my subconscious awareness of maps and human movements.

Anyways, my point above. I am not just "TRYING TO BE AWARE ALL THE TIME" in the dream, or in waking, I am trying to set the right kind of habits that promote awareness of the thing I choose. This type of thing changes depending on what I am doing, which is why I switched from "All day work and all night" for LDing, to "Focusing on things I choose to focus on." Day things during the day, night things during the night. I don't worry about dreams during the day, they are not a priority, I don't worry about my day during the night, they are not a priority."

Originally Posted by lenscaper

I am also deeply engaged in ADA/Mindfulness training right now. I have found that by connecting with my body whenever possible I am able to slip immediately into a mindful moment. Run a quick full body scan and you'll find yourself fully aware for that moment in time.

The body connects to the moment...the moment connects to the true self...the true self attends to life as a dream. That's what I am working on anyway.....with some real success.

I spend my days in my office where I do quite a bit of phone work. A little orange sticky on my phone reminds me to be mindful and aware many times during the day, often times even when I am on a call.

Great idea! Also can be helpful to do a few simple (i.e., easy) yoga moves, focusing on how different parts of your body feel while you're doing that.

Originally Posted by Zthread

Great idea! Also can be helpful to do a few simple (i.e., easy) yoga moves, focusing on how different parts of your body feel while you're doing that.

You are so right about that! I have a yoga mat here in my office. Twice a day I close the door and do some simple yoga followed by ten minutes or so of T'ai Chi. Holding mindfulness while moving in those ways is seriously good training.

Originally Posted by lenscaper

You are so right about that! I have a yoga mat here in my office. Twice a day I close the door and do some simple yoga followed by ten minutes or so of T'ai Chi. Holding mindfulness while moving in those ways is seriously good training.

Just watched a T'ai Chi video. Does look like it'd be really good.

Also, probably mindfulness would be good to combine with a lot of different sports. Running, biking, skiing, swimming, etc.

Originally Posted by Zthread

Just watched a T'ai Chi video. Does look like it'd be really good.

Yeah, T'ai Chi is like moving meditation. It develops your breath energy and gets you in touch with your center. I've been practicing for 45 years or so and I think that has really been a factor in the early success in my lucid training.

Originally Posted by 13WAR08T

I'm interested in training myself to actually live in the present and be aware of my thoughts and surroundings for long periods of time, for DILDs and because of health problems which would benefit from long-term mindfulness. But I don't want to exhaust myself. Here's an idea I have for gradually building up awareness:
Every time I do a reality check (usually once or twice every hour), try to stay aware for one minute and do this for 3 days. Then try 3 minutes after each RC for another few days. then 5 minutes and so on until I'm aware more often than not. Is this likely to work? Could anyone suggest a possibly better way?

Have been having some luck lately with a type of modified transcendental meditation (TM) at bedtime and when trying to get back to sleep after waking up during the night. Wonder if it might also be helpful in accomplishing your goal of staying aware for one minute after an RC. It's simple to do:

First I just let my mind go blank, which I can usually manage to do only for a few seconds. As soon as I notice any thoughts, I repeat my TM mantra to myself several times. When I stop, I can usually go for a little longer without thoughts. But as soon as I notice any thoughts, I again repeat the mantra several times. After a few cycles of this, I can sometimes achieve a fairly long period (maybe a few minutes) without thoughts, or at least without much of anything other than occasional fleeting thoughts. In the past, meditating while going to sleep has sometimes seemed to enhance my dreaming or dream recall. So far I'm not sure it's having that effect, though. But it feels really relaxing to be in a state of having no thoughts.

Originally Posted by 13WAR08T

Also, how do you stay aware when doing things which require you to think and concentrate? For example writing or talking to someone?

It probably wouldn't work during tasks like writing or talking to someone. But might work for tasks that don't require the use of verbal skills, such as washing the dishes.

Just thought I'd throw in something that has helped me (I am not very fluent in this subject or understand it entirely to be honest).

From an overall point of view ADA supposedly yields many benefits not only pertaining to lucid dreaming. I believe that, however I do not do it well enough and I am only focused on doing it to assist in lucid dreaming. That being said, this is what I do to keep myself locked into mindfulness (even if only a minute or so) that helps obtain DILDs later.

When you decide to start paying close attention and be aware, don't just observe the surroundings but actually ask yourself what is happening and why. For example, don't look over at a co-worker and say to yourself, "that's Ted, I know he came in this morning wearing that red tie. He is always in the office after 7 AM."

Instead ask, "what's Ted doing here? Was he wearing that tie this morning? What time is it exactly?"

I know this may sound odd (or perhaps counterproductive) but for me this tactic has helped tremendously and just recently gained me lucidity in a dream (first one since months of not practicing). I was digging through a box and kept finding video game controllers and I started asking why I had so many, and why they were in the box. Fact is, I do have those controllers - but in waking life they are positioned neatly under the TV stand.

As for during work it is easy for me because a lot of the panels I work on wiring for I follow some schematics. A lot of the work is redundant so I take a second and ask myself why am I putting this wire here? The blueprints should tell me (which in a dream should not add up) and I check and question myself to be sure. If you worked an office job perhaps look at your calendar in Outlook and ask why is there a meeting next week? Or why did I receive this email? Or take a glance around and find things to question.

I know this is not entirely or even maybe partially what you were looking for as an answer but I felt it good to share. Perhaps with your tactics and some of the good responses above this can work as an alternative tactic to jump start the ADA.

Originally Posted by Legkicker

When you decide to start paying close attention and be aware, don't just observe the surroundings but actually ask yourself what is happening and why....

Makes sense that that could work!

BTW, what does ADA stand for?

All Day Awareness.

By practicing focused awareness during the day we start to cut through the distractions that are all around us. Soon we start doing the same thing in the dream....seeing through the constant fantasies and delusions that our mind is throwing up. That's when lucidity begins to bloom.

Originally Posted by lenscaper

All Day Awareness.

By practicing focused awareness during the day we start to cut through the distractions that are all around us. Soon we start doing the same thing in the dream....seeing through the constant fantasies and delusions that our mind is throwing up. That's when lucidity begins to bloom.

OK, makes sense! Hadn't heard that term. Seems like a great thing to try.

Originally Posted by lenscaper

All Day Awareness.

By practicing focused awareness during the day we start to cut through the distractions that are all around us. Soon we start doing the same thing in the dream....seeing through the constant fantasies and delusions that our mind is throwing up. That's when lucidity begins to bloom.

Exactly: It's been my number one method of inducing lucidity my entire life. There are so many techniques, and people even trying to sell courses on how to obtain lucidity. But it's a really simple concept, really, the idea, to get yourself to think about if you are dreaming, while in a dream. By thinking of it while awake. True, the courses and reading of all the techniques helps to motivate a person, and sometimes helps to make a person think about it in their dreams. But that's their only real value in my opinion.

The all day awareness, I sometimes like to think of as thought control. Or as some would call it meditation even. Thinking of thoughts as a tool, directing them a certain way to create the experience desired. It's kind of a weird feeling, when you start thinking of yourself as being something separate from your thoughts. The core something/awareness that generates thought. And using those thoughts with purpose as tools to create experience.

Originally Posted by 13WAR08T

I'm interested in training myself to actually live in the present and be aware of my thoughts and surroundings for long periods of time, for DILDs and because of health problems which would benefit from long-term mindfulness. But I don't want to exhaust myself. Here's an idea I have for gradually building up awareness:
Every time I do a reality check (usually once or twice every hour), try to stay aware for one minute and do this for 3 days. Then try 3 minutes after each RC for another few days. then 5 minutes and so on until I'm aware more often than not. Is this likely to work? Could anyone suggest a possibly better way?

Also, how do you stay aware when doing things which require you to think and concentrate? For example writing or talking to someone?

I like to use my watch to measure awareness. To measure how many seconds/minutes I can focus thought/awareness before falling prey to the wandering mind. Good question about during activities and conversations. I find these situations to be the most vital because it's so easy to become distracted and forget. Like in dreams, we are so focused on what we are doing in the dream, it's difficult to get onself to stop and step back, remember.


As I mentioned in another thread recently I like to use the TV as awareness meditation tool. Practice staying focused on yourself, the room you are in at the same time as staying aware and following the dialog, and every sound effect and image on the TV. How many things can you stay aware of at once, without letting your mind wander.

And if you can get relatively good at that try expanding on it, but staying aware of as many things as possible in the present. While at the same time visually imagining another place completely. And try to feel being in both places at once. I know, I'm a bit odd. But I do like to play with my mind.

Originally Posted by Caradon

Good question about during activities and conversations. I find these situations to be the most vital because it's so easy to become distracted and forget. Like in dreams, we are so focused on what we are doing in the dream, it's difficult to get onself to stop and step back

My dreams are heavily populated...dream characters abound! So during my long days in my office I use the people that come and go for awareness training. During an informal conversation, while listening, in my mind I'll say....."This is a dream and you are a dream character. You are a construct of my mind and you have no real physical presence.".

Then I will throw all of my focused awareness into my own body.

This has begun to really work in dreams....when I am able to connect to my body while interacting with a DC.

I think of ADA practice as establishing an unbroken continuity of awareness from awake to a'dream.